Helicopter



United States Patent References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1951Bussiere et al 5/l96l Howard, Jr., et al. 5/1964 Jensen et al. 8/1966Melton FOREIGN PATENTS 7/1909 France Primary Examiner-Trygve M. BlixAssistant Examiner-Paul E. Sauberer Attorney-Wellington M. Manning, Jr.

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PATENTEDBEmSIQm 1 3,550,883

INVEN'I'OR.

Jiuss E. IRBY HELICOPTER SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION My helicopter has afuselage with upper and lower sections. The lower section is rotatableabout a vertical axis defined by a vertical drive shaft which extendsthrough the upper section and rotates propeller means secured to theupper end of the shaft. An engine in the upper section rotates theshaft. The upper section does not rotate about the shaft. Jet meanssecured to the lower section rotates the lower section through anyselected are in either clockwise or counterclockwise directions asdesired by an operator, either pilot or crew, who is positioned in thelower section.

This invention is particularly advantageous, when the lower sectioncarries weapons such as machine guns, rocket launchers and the like,which are installed in selected stations or positions in the lowersection.

When the helicopter is flying along a given course, and the weapons areto be aimed and fired at off course targets, it is necessary, in theabsence of a rotatable lower section, to change the course. The timerequired to change course may be critical and a target might escape. Inmy invention, it is not necessary to change the course of flight.Instead, by use of the jet means, the lower section is rotated to aposition at which the weapons can be properly aimed and tired regardlessof the course employed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In thedrawings:

FIG. I is a front view of my helicopter;

FIG. 2 is a top view thereof; and

FIG. 3 is a side view thereof;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIGS. 1-3,a helicopter has a fuselage with an upper section having an elongatedtail portion 12 and a lower section 14. A vertical drive shaft 16extends upwardly from the top of the lower section through the uppersection and ends or terminates above the upper section. Section 14 isrotatable about shaft 16; section 10 is not rotatable about the shaft16.

The shaft is driven or rotated by an internal combustion engine disposedin the upper section. First propeller means 18 is secured to the top endof the shaft and is rotated thereby in a horizontal plane inconventional manner. The engine has another drive shaft or transmissionwhich extends to the tail portion and is connected to second propellermeans 20 secured thereto and rotated thereby in a conventional manner ina vertical plane.

The lower section can contain one or more pilots and crew with weaponsas described above and is provided with landing skis or the like 22. Atleast two jet engines 24 and 26 are disposed opposite each other onopposite sides of the lower section and discharge horizontal jets inopposite directions. Controls within the lower section enable anoperator by selective firing of these jets, to rotate the lower sectionin either clockwise or counterclockwise directions through any desiredarc, for example from the solid line position to the phantom position asshown in FIG. 3, and to thereafter hold the lower section in thisposition or to change it as desired.

While I have described my invention with particular reference to thedrawings, my protection is to be limited only by the terms of the claimswhich follow.

lclaim:

l. A helicopter comprising:

a fuselage having upper and lower sections, the lower section beingrotatable about a vertical axis, the upper section being nonrotatableabout said axis;

an engine in said upper section;

landing means attached to said lower section;

a vertical drive shaft for said engine which defines said axis, saidshaft extending through said upper section, the upper end of said shaftbeing disposed thereabove' first propeller means secured to the top endof said shaft and rotated thereby; and

jet means secured to said lower section for causing selected rotationthereof.

2. A helicopter as set forth in claim I wherein said jet means includesfirst and second oppositely disposed jet engines which firehorizontally.

3. A helicopter as set forth in claim 2 wherein said engines fire inopposite directions.

4. A helicopter as set forth in claim 3 wherein said lower section isrotatably secured about the bottom end of the drive shaft.

5. A helicopter as set forth in claim 4 further including secondpropeller means coupled to said engine and rotated thereby, the firstpropeller means rotating in a horizontal plane, the second propellermeans rotating in a vertical plane.

